Sola Scriptura: Scripture Alone
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Today we enter into a 5 week study on the 5 Solas of the Reformation.
Now you may have no clue what this means or you may have been anxiously anticipating this study
Either way, we are going to be diving into a most important topic: The topic of Salvation.
More specifically, how we understand Salvation.
Each session, Lord Willing, will have a study guide.
I encourage everyone to follow along and fill in the blanks as we come to them.
There is also going to be a time of discussion where you will be invited to participate in this study.
For those watching at home, feel free to pause the video when we get to the discussion parts and write down your thoughts.
Then continue the video to hear others share as well.
While this study is about Salvation, it is not just about Salvation,
but also how we are to hold fast to the truths given to us from God about Salvation.
Every generation, including ours, need to not only know the truths God has given us,
But also stand firm upon truths.
Not only acknowledge the truths but be able to defend the truths.
This is not just the responsibility of the pastor, the evangelist, or the apologist, but the responsibility of the Christian.
Thus, this is a study that we should find most beneficial and most encouraging,
but also a study that should encourage us to defend and proclaim the good news of our savior, Jesus Christ.
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So, what are the 5 Solas of the Reformation and what on earth is a Sola anyway?
The 5 Solas are as follows: Sola Scriptura, Solus Christus, Sola Fide, Sola Gratia, Soli Deo Gloria
If it sounds like I’m speaking another language, you would be right.
These are Latin phrases: Sola in Latin is translated into the English as the word Alone.
thus we have what follows as this:
Salvation is by grace alone (sola gratia), through faith alone (sola fide), in Christ alone (solus Christus), based on Scripture alone (sola scriptura), and for the glory of God alone (soli Deo gloria).
And everyone says: This Is the Way!
Hopefully, everyone here, will resonate with these words and agree with them.
For this is what the clear teaching of scripture displays to us.
But, it wasn’t always this way.
Winston Churchhill famously paraphrases a saying credited to George Santayana.
He says, “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.”
Now hold on, is this a History Lesson or a Bible Study? The answer is Yes.
The point is that if we do not know our history, and know the issues of our history, then we will repeat the same problems found in our history.
The hope is that we learn from our mistakes, we learn from our failures, we learn from the past to change the future.
If we do not learn from, or worse, do not even know our past, then we are liable to commit the same failures those before us did.
The Solas come to us through Church History in the 1500s during the reformation.
The Protestant reformation came about through the protesting of the Roman Catholic Church.
A protestant is someone who is making a public declaration against something he opposes.
Therefore, the Protestant reformation was protesting all of the issues of the Roman Catholic Church, and there were a lot of them.
Now, I don’t want you to think that we are here to be mean or to bash random people’s beliefs.
What we are to do is hold fast to the truth that God has given us and stand against anyone or any organization or any spirit who wants to pervert that.
This Sunday we will be speaking to this very end when we continue our journey through 1 John.
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
So, our goal is not to hurt anyone, discourage anyone, or ridicule.
But, in love, in truth, and for the good of the individual, we must be willing to proclaim the Gospel.
The Greatness of God, the sinfulness of man, and our hope is in Christ alone.
We should seek unity in secondary and tertiary issues, but when it comes to a primary issue, the Gospel, we cannot concede.
We must stand firm, strong, and fully against anyone or any organization that goes against the Gospel.
However, I am adding a caveat here as a warning and a caution.
In our zeal we can stand against people who are naive, who do not understand, or not even aware of biblical issues.
We can do much harm when we do not approach issues with grace, love, and a desire for the good of the one we are speaking with.
There is a difference between your every day Catholic who loves Jesus, and the organization of the Catholic church.
Illustration: Maria, is one of my favorite stories of Confessors of Christ Church.
She came one Sunday and declared when I greeted her that she is a Roman Catholic and will die a Roman Catholic.
But, said she was here protesting the Catholic Church due to their corruption and the child grooming w/ priests molesting boys.
I smiled and told her she came to the right place, because we are protesting them, too.
To this day, I’m not 100% sure whether she knew that she was at a reformed church that traces itself back to the reformation or not, but she became one of the most wonderful person I have had the honor of meeting.
I have no doubt that she is a true believer, and I believe there are many catholics like Maria who are true believers.
With that said, there are also grave issues with the Catholic church that caused the protestant reformation
and a desire to get back to the truth of God over man made traditions.
When it comes to the protestant movement.
You are either Catholic, or you are Protesting Catholicism.
Lutheran, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Methodist, Baptist, Congregationalist, and more are all Christian protestant.
Thus in protest against the Catholic Church.
At this point, you are probably wondering what was happening in the 1500s and why such a strong response.
And we are almost there.
But I want to ask you to engage now in this topic as I ask this question and open the floor for dialogue before we continue.
Here is my question.
For what reasons do we or others protest today?
Do you think protesting is a good thing or a bad thing?
What are a couple of protests that have happened recently and how do you feel about them?
If you are watching from home, go ahead and pause this video and think through these questions yourself then when you are ready come back and listen to others responses.
Let’s open the floor and dialogue briefly about what it means to protest.
For us to understand why the 5 Solas made their way into the protestant reformation we need to understand what was happening.
1.) The church prevented the Bible from being translated into the common language of a community: Biblical Illiteracy.
2.) The Catholic Church taught that only the church could understand and interpret the Bible: Experts
3.) In order to read the Bible you must be able to read Latin, but even if you could read Latin, The Catholic Church that prevented people from being able to read the Bible on their own: Censorship
4.) Not being able to read the Bible meant that you were not able to test the Pope and the Priests to make sure what was being said was truly the Words of God: Accountability
What resulted from this was all sorts of heresies, there were not biblical, in which the church used to manipulate people.
It is in this time frame that a man arose that would challenge the church from within.
Martin Luther was an Augustinian Monk in the Catholic Church who struggled greatly with reconciling the churches practices
With what he discovered in the Scriptures.
One of His greatest issues, though He had 95 issues in total, was the sale of indulgences.
The church came up with a concept not known in the Bible called Purgatory.
Where someone would spend an undisclosed amount of time in order to purify themselves so they could go to heaven.
The Church in this time was building a new Cathedral in Rome and needed more money.
To fix this problem, they would sell indulgences which would free a loved one from purgatory based on the amount of money they gave.
So, the church created something unbiblical, then used it as a scare tactic to get money out of their followers, to build a cathedral.
Tetzel a Roman Catholic who went around and sold indulgences famously stated:
“As soon as the gold in the casket rings, The rescued soul to heaven springs.”
Meaning as soon as the coins are heard in the coffer then a soul in purgatory is released.
You can see how manipulative and awful this was.
Yet, the common person, you or I, if we lived in this time, would not know any difference and would have to trust what was being said.
This was just one of many issues that were happening and were happening because of manipulating God’s Word.
The issue is a Gospel issue.
It isn’t money that can pay for sins.
It isn’t ourselves in this life or the next that can pay for sins.
It is Jesus and Jesus alone that can pay for sins.
But Solus Christus is for another week.
Today we begin with Sola Scriptura or Scripture Alone.
The reasons why this was not stopped sooner was because none of the priests dared confront the Pope on this matter.
You would never confront the Pope because in Catholic tradition, the Pope is put forth as the Vicar of Christ.
Meaning that the Pope is Christ’s representative on this earth.
But, this again, is not a concept that is found in Scripture.
Even today, many in the Catholic Church know very little of their Bible and rely fully on what the church tells them.
Which is in complete contrast to words that you hear come from me on a Sunday morning.
Where I tell you that you must test the words that I say to Scripture
and why I preach Expository sermons walking through the Bible together.
So, much of these problems would be fixed if the Catholic church would be willing to be reformed back to Scripture.
Or to Scripture Alone.
However, the church refused to do this and thus the protestant reformation began
And thus Sola Scriptura became the rallying cry of this movement.
A desire to get back to Scripture as our source of truth and not man made traditions.
Let us now dive into Scripture Alone and understand what this means and why it is important
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How should we define Sola Scriptura?
Sola Scriptura is the ultimate or supreme authority over the church and the life of the believer.
Specifically the 66 books of the Bible.
The London Baptist Confession of 1689 states: The Holy Scriptures are the only sufficient, certain, and infallible standard of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience. The light of nature and the works of creation and providence so clearly demonstrate the goodness, wisdom, and power of God that people are left without excuse; however, these demonstrations are not sufficient to give the knowledge of God and his will that is necessary for salvation. Therefore, the Lord was pleased at different times and in various ways to reveal himself and to declare his will to his church. To preserve and propagate the truth better and to establish and comfort the church with greater certainty against the corruption of the flesh and the malice of Satan and the world, the Lord put this revelation completely in writing. Therefore, the Holy Scriptures are absolutely necessary, because God’s former ways of revealing his will to his people have now ceased.
What we discover is that the Bible is not just a collection of wise writings, but are the rule.
Many statements tell us this: “the Bible is our only rule for faith and practice”
Illustration: Just like a ruler measures out with precision a certain length, the Bible gives us with precision practice and faith.
What makes the Bible so powerful and so mighty, is that these books are not just any books.
These books are the actual words of God.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
These words that are in these books are not just inspired by God, they are exhaled by God.
The same power that breathed into Adam to first give him life is the same power that breathed into the Bible.
We also see that the Bible is good and profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness.
The Bible is what makes us complete.
Not Tradition, not the pope, not anything from Man, but everything from God.
But you may say, the Bible was written by man and not by God.
Peter helps us understand with more clarity what this means.
knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
So, the Scripture is true because it wasn’t man who wrote it, though man physically put ink to paper, it was God who spoke by the Holy Spirit through man, to bring forth this divine and Holy book.
Paul then tells us specifically not to go beyond these teachings.
I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another.
We must not go beyond what is inspired and God breathed.
We see this being celebrated when Paul shared with the Jews of Thess-alon-ica.
Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
Luke recorded this interaction and praised it, because they made sure that what Paul said lined up to Scripture and did not contradict Scripture.
Luke called these more noble as they sought the truth with eagerness.
The revelation that we have today must come from God’s Word because it is God’s Word that now tells us of Jesus.
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
Revelation came from Abraham, Moses, Kings, and the Prophets as God spoke to them.
But in these last days, God now speaks to us through Jesus.
We see of Jesus, hear of Jesus, learn of Jesus, as the Apostles and those around the apostles declare Jesus...
through the gospels and the letters.
Thus we need nothing else, no prophet, no apostle, no pope, and no tradition.
Let’s go to tradition next:
Sola scriptura does not nullify the concept of church traditions. Rather, sola scriptura gives us a solid foundation on which to base church traditions.
What I mean is that traditions are not wrong, as long as they line up with Scripture.
If a tradition lines up with Scripture we should keep it.
If a tradition contradicts Scripture then we must abandon it.
So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.
As you can see, it must still be rooted in God’s Word.
We do not have the Apostles talking to us any more but we do have their letters and writings.
Paul not only gives us the understanding from Himself to listen to, but also what not to listen to:
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.
We must be on guard and we must protect our heart and mind because the world is full of people who are trying to actively deceive us.
There are those that would try to give us other revelation and put it on par with Scripture.
It is not that there is not other revelation from God, but that there is not revelation from God on par with Scripture.
For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
Here Paul tells us that we have revelation of who God is in the creation that God has made.
This is sufficient revelation for us to know that God exists.
This is sufficient revelation to make us all guilty for rejecting God.
This is sufficient revelation to leave us without excuse.
The problem? While this is true, it is not sufficient to save us.
This is where we must go to the Bible or have someone proclaim the Bible.
It is in this revelation that we hear of Jesus.
It is in biblical revelation that we learn of the Gospel.
Either by reading it ourselves or having it proclaimed to us by another.
This is actually our command as Christians and the great commission.
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The way we, as believers 2000 years later, carry out this commission: Is by teaching God’s Word.
preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
It is through the Bible that we do this.
Now, what about other things that we see in church History and even thoughts about what Jesus may have or may not have done?
The Apostle John addresses this:
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
What we need to know Jesus and be known by Jesus is recorded for us.
We do not need to go to any other books, teachers, or ideas to have Salvation and life, we only must go to God’s Word.
It is in God’s Word that it points us to Jesus and points us to our meaning and purpose in this life.
Sola Scriptura is the building blocks on which every doctrine and every belief in the Christian is made known.
True theology is built upon the Word of God.
From Scriptures all theological principles are put together.
Now, I want to bring everyone back in for a time of discussion.
Here is the question I want us to ponder and then talk about.
In what ways is Sola Scriptura needed today?
Are there any religious groups that are Christian that have gone away from Scripture Alone?
If you are watching online, go ahead and pause and think through this question yourself before resuming the video.
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Let me take a moment as we close to address a few objections to Sola Scriptura.
A frequent objection to the concept of sola scriptura is the fact that the canon of the Bible was not officially agreed upon for at least 250 years after the church was founded.
While this is true, all of those books were already written and being copied and passed around and taught from during this time.
It was not that these were not available until 250 years later, but they were not all compiled together into one volume until then.
Thus the truths contained within were not kept from God’s people even though they were not in one specific place.
Another objection is the Scriptures were not available to the masses for over 1500 years after the church was founded. How, then, were early Christians to use sola scriptura, when they did not even have the full Scriptures?
This is the fault of the church not the fault of Sola Scriptura.
While the printing press was still a ways off and would be very expensive to translate and copy the Scriptures
This very much should have been a major role of the church to undertake.
Because the church failed to do this does not mean that Sola Scriptura fails, but that the church failed.
We have since fixed this where we can get the Bible for free on our phones in many translations and languages.
Work still needs to be done and we have more to do, but much has been done and people all over the world in hundreds of languages can now read the Bible.
Scripture’s authority is not based on its availability. Scripture’s authority is universal because it is God’s Word.
What about the high illiteracy rates and that many people could not read. How is Sola Scriptura possible with this issue?
Again the answer is in the church and not in God’s Word.
The Protestant church has in the last few hundred years been a leader in education and helping people to be able to read and learn the Scriptures.
The Protestant church has made confessions and catechisms to help teach children the truth of God’s Word.
Another objection is this: It is too hard to understand.
The London Baptist Confessional of 1689 1.7 states: Some things in Scripture are clearer than others, and some people understand the teachings more clearly than others. However, the things that must be known, believed, and obeyed for salvation are so clearly set forth and explained in one part of Scripture or another that both the educated and uneducated may achieve a sufficient understanding of them by properly using ordinary measures.
This means that if we truly desire to know and are looking through Scripture, we can find the answers very easily, and clearly even if we are not trained on the Bible.
The Book of John is regularly given to those seeking to know God as it is easy to understand and beautifully displays the Gospel.
With that said, if someone wants to learn, it is not difficult for one to join a church and be discipled.
That is what we do here at Confessors of Christ Church.
Sola Scriptura is a 16th Century idea and doesn’t stand with church History.
Basil, On the Holy Spirit written in the 4th century said “But we are not content simply because this is the tradition of the Fathers. What is important is that the Fathers followed the meaning of Scripture.”
Augustine, on the unity of the church, in the 5th century “Whoever dissents from the sacred Scriptures, even if they are found in all places in which the church is designated, are not the church.”
Sola Scriptura is not in the Bible, thus it is a self-refuting doctrine since this isn’t taught in Scripture.
While this is correct in that it doesn’t specifically say Sola Scriptura, but we also are not given any other authority outside of the authority the Bible claims for itself.
If we are to follow traditions and a Pope, wouldn’t the Bible tell us this and agree with this?
Secondly if we look at Matthew 15:3
He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?
Matthew 15:6 (ESV)
So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.
Here we see Jesus rebuking the Pharisees for holding their traditions above that of Scripture.
Which is exactly what we see those in the Roman Catholic Church doing.
Interpretation becomes chaos and every church has their own Pope.
This is actually a very valid accusation and we see many interpretations of Scripture.
With that being said, that doesn’t mean that God’s Word has failed, it means that we have failed.
Our goal is to seek and discover the meaning of the text in companion with the Holy Spirit.
Scripture will not contradict itself and Scripture can be rightly understood.
Because two people disagree does’t mean that it is Scripture’s fault.
We must use right hermeneutics to rightly understand God’s Word and be willing to wrestle with it as we seek its understanding.
On the flip side, we know, through Church History, that Pope’s have contradicted Pope’s,
at times they couldn’t agree on Pope’s so there were 2 Popes.
The Pope’s that we have had have very badly misunderstood Scripture and can easily be shown to have failed in their interpretations.
Let’s do one more:
The Catholic Church gave us the Bible, we wouldn’t have the Bible or know what should be in the Bible if it wasn’t for the Catholic Church.
They would also claim that the Bible is their Bible not the Protestant Bible.
One Protestant said that Newton no more gave us Gravity than the Catholic Church gave us the Bible.
Just because Newton discovered the basis for Gravity doesn’t mean he is gravity.
Gavin Ortland gives a helpful illustration: A child walking to school with a note from his mom for the principal, a bully comes along and rips up the note. The teacher was able to put it back together. But does the teacher have authority of the note, or does the mom? Of course the teaching piecing it together doesn’t give the note the authority, it is the Mom.
If you have any thoughts, questions, or concerns about Sola Scriptura, we will open our remaining time to questions and answers, so be thinking of what you would like to ask.
In conclusion:
Scripture Alone had to be the battle cry of the reformation because through Scripture Alone will we find the truth that God has laid out for us to know Him and live for Him.
There is no new revelation after the last Apostle died.
So, if we are going to know God and be known by God, the Bible is God’s choice on His revelation.
It is not up to us to decide how God chooses to reveal Himself it is only up to us whether we follow God’s revelation or rebel against God’s revelation.
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